Games of Mind
by CrazyBeaver
Summary: Based on "Asterix and the Actress". What if the effects of Obelix's punch last longer and go deeper than in the original story? And what if there are other complications at the same time? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N __Maybe it's a bit silly but I couldn't hold back from writing it! The story's going to be quite short, I guess... My second fic originally written in English…_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

* * *

_**Games of Mind**_

**Chapter One**

… Asterix woke up on a rock. As far as he could see, there was only the stormy sea around him. Land was slightly visible on the horizon… The Gaul's head felt as though the sky had fallen on it, and his vision was blurred a little. _"Where am I?"_ he thought. _"How did I get here? Hey, it's not fun here, I don't like it, it's scary!"_ He tried to remember anything but he couldn't. He couldn't recall even his own name. The storm was becoming stronger and stronger. Asterix sat down on the rock, whimpering and pleading for someone's help silently.

Suddenly he saw a ship. He stood up, took the winged helmet which was lying nearby _("Cool, it must be mine,"_ he thought) and called for help. He heard only scared exclamations "It's a ghost!" as the ship turned away. _"Ghosts are no fun, either,"_ the poor Gaul whimpered. He even called his Mom to help him in his thoughts despite he didn't remember how she looked. Finally, there was an exceptionally strong wave which washed him away from the rock. He felt he was drowning when suddenly he found himself on a dolphin's back…

Once on the dry land, he ran as fast as he could. It didn't matter where - he just wanted to be away from this terrible sea. He was frightened and confused…

* * *

"Where is he?" Sarsaparilla asked for like the hundredth time. Her hands were shaking badly. "He's been out for too long! And in that strange state…" she looked at Getafix accusingly. They were both at the druid's hut, listening to the sounds of the distant storm.

"He'll come back soon, I'm sure," the druid answered. However, he didn't sound so sure at all…

Suddenly the door opened, and entered Cacofonix, followed by a trembling and wet Asterix who was looking at everything as though he had never seen it before. Sarsaparilla ran to hug her son at once but he didn't seem to answer her embrace.

"He bumped into me not far from the seaside," said the bard. "He is very shocked… I don't know… I've never seen him like this. Moreover, he doesn't recognize me…"

It took some time to realize Asterix didn't recognize anybody. He behaved strangely, too. He felt as if he were a little boy. His winged helmet didn't look as usual, either – the wings didn't react to anything as they had used to and were simply hanging down helplessly. No matter what Sarsaparilla and Getafix did it didn't work. The only progress from Asterix's previous state was that he could talk and was somewhat reasonable as for a child. However, he was panicking: he couldn't remember anything or anyone and it scared him.

"Getafix!" a voice sounded suddenly, and Obelix entered. He saw Asterix and stopped. "Oh".

"Is it urgent, Obelix?" the druid asked.

"Well… yes," Obelix said, looking at the little warrior with some sort of dislike, which surprised the druid. "Panacea decided to go home, to Condatum. I think I should go with her. By the way, I can visit Dad there".

"And who is this fat guy? He looks so funny!" Asterix giggled. He had been keeping silent for too long already.

"Okay, this is too much!" Obelix roared. But then he noticed the concerned look on Sarsaparilla's face and fell silent, slightly confused.

"He appears to have a serious brain damage," Getafix explained, looking deep into the red-haired Gaul's eyes. "By the way, have you noticed anything wrong recently? Maybe he fell down or just hit something…"

Obelix felt shiver down his spine. It couldn't be… But then… He looked at Asterix's mother who was now explaining to her son that calling people fat wasn't polite.

"N-no… n-nothing…" he replied in a low and shaky voice.

Getafix nodded. He saw Obelix was hiding something but chose not to talk about it in Sarsaparilla's presence. He followed the menhir delivery man outside.

"So tell me what it is," the druid said as soon as they had left his hut. "Something is bothering you. I can see it in your eyes".

Obelix looked at the ground.

"It was me," he whispered. "I hit Asterix".

Getafix stared at him in shock.

"I didn't know this would happen… I didn't want to hurt him! We argued and then… it just happened! So he didn't know what he was doing after that…"

The last sentence was very quiet – Obelix seemed to have told it more to himself than to anyone else.

"You should control your emotions, Obelix," the druid said strictly. But then he saw Obelix's expression and paused.

Panacea was getting on the cart not far from them. Obelix saw it. He had to go. Strangely enough, he even wanted to – he just couldn't stand seeing Asterix in that sate.

"Will he be okay?" he asked the druid. "Will he… get back to normal?"

Getafix looked at Obelix, then at the ground.

"I don't know," he shook his head.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter ****Two**

On the way to Condatum things turned out to be not as Obelix had thought them to. Panacea wasn't Panacea! But even seeing the real Panacea didn't make Obelix feel better. He couldn't stop thinking about Asterix. _"Just what I've done… Could a single punch cause so much damage?"_ Nobody around could understand why he seemed so absent, unable to react to anything normally. He freed Astronomix and Obeliscoidix from prison. Although he was happy to see his father, every time he looked at Asterix's he felt guilty. Caesar rewarded the red-haired Gaul with a golden statue… Obelix didn't care about that stupid statue so he gave it to Latraviata who seemed to like it. He didn't care much about anything.

"And where is Asterix?" Astronomix asked, worried. "Has something happened to him?"

"Well… he… umm…" Obelix paused, not knowing what to say. "He is ill".

"Oh dear!" Astronomix exclaimed. "Is he okay? Shall I go to see him?"

"When I was leaving he was fine already," Obelix lied. "It was his mother who insisted that he stayed".

"Oh," Astronomix calmed down a little. "Yes, Sarsaparilla can be overprotective sometimes. When is she going home, by the way?"

"I don't know…" Obelix felt uneasy again. "I think they will come back soon…"

So, the well-covered Gaul was on his way home. _"I wish Asterix was okay!"_ he thought. _"Well, a lot of time passed, he ought to be fine by now"_. He tried to remember how Asterix had behaved after their fight. Now it was obvious that Asterix had been nothing like himself then_. "He would have never done what he did… How could I have not noticed that? And I almost hit him AGAIN! What a terrible friend, what a terrible person I am!"_ Those thoughts were driving him crazy. On the one hand, he wanted to see Asterix, but on the other hand, he was afraid of it, even though he didn't know much about Asterix's state. Actually, he knew it was serious only from the reaction of Sarsaparilla and Getafix but that was already enough. The feeling of guilt and worry grew every moment. He only hoped that Asterix had already got back to his normal self.

* * *

Asterix, however, still showed no sign of improvement. A couple of weeks had passed since that day. He had learned his own name and the names of the other Gauls but that was it – he still behaved like a child and couldn't recall any memories. Sarsaparilla had to take away his sword (it was dangerous for a little boy to have a toy like that). A lot of time and efforts were spent to teach him to shave without getting cut. It looked so unnatural – an adult man behaving like that. And nobody knew when (or even whether) it was going to end.

Other villagers looked at him with sympathy, but some of them tried to stay away from him – the whole situation was just too weird, and they felt uncomfortable.

Another thing that worried both Sarsaparilla and Getafix was that Asterix complained about terrible headaches very often. Sometimes he was running and jumping around, singing something cheerfully, and the next moment he sat on the ground massaging his temples or just clutching his head, unable to hold back the tears of pain.

Getafix did his best to help but nothing worked. Besides, the poor warrior's mother didn't trust him much which made the druid's task almost impossible.

Sarsaparilla was sitting near her son's hut, sighing sadly. Vanilla was with her to help. She was worrying slightly: it was about time for Obelix to come back.

"Poor Asterix!" Vanilla sighed, looking at her friend sympathetically.

"You know," Sarsaparilla smiled unhappily as she watched her son trying to catch a big blue butterfly, laughing loudly. "He even seems to be happy… in his own way…"

She knew she was fooling herself. She remembered one moment which had happened a few days before… _* Asterix came to her and asked why other children didn't want to play with him. She tried to answer something but she didn't know how. How could she explain to her son that he was actually about thirty years older than he thought?*_ Sarsaparilla covered her face with her hands and cried.

"There, there," Vanilla said soothingly. "Everything will be alright".

"Mom?" Asterix asked softly, coming near them. "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing, Rixikins," Sarsaparilla sobbed as she hugged her son who hugged her back this time. "Something just got into my eye…"

* * *

During all this time no one of the Gauls noticed one very important thing: they were being watched. And the one who was watching them wasn't Roman. His purpose was not political – it was simply personal revenge… And now, when he had such an opportunity, he just couldn't waste it…


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter ****Three**

Asterix looked around absentmindedly. His eyes were red and puffy – he had barely slept that night - the headache was killing him. He had taught himself not to cry – he wanted to become a strong and brave warrior. And a warrior wouldn't cry because of some headache, he knew it. Now he was standing in the middle of Getafix's hut. The druid asked him questions about his feeling or about some memories. The whole procedure already began to annoy the little Gaul since it repeated every day.

"Fine, you may go now," Getafix said shaking his head sadly. Then added, more to Sarsaparilla: "Nothing".

"How long will it last?!" the woman exclaimed. She knew she would get no answer though. "I can't take it anymore…"

"Let's just not loose our hope," the druid replied quietly as Sarsaparilla followed her son out. Then he sat down at the table and sighed, deep in thought.

* * *

Now the evil plans were about to come true. The last time he had met those Gauls was the end of his perfect reputation. Nobody entrusted him any important missions, and the only living creature to stay with him was his devoted fly. Dubbelosix (it was he planning the revenge) had gone mad about it as some people around thought. Even after everyone had forgotten about his fail he still kept thinking about it. He was obsessed with it. Now he had to be done with it. All he needed was a perfect disguise, and he already had it, as well as the whole plan.

Later that day, a druid entered the village, saying he was one of Getafix's friends. Indeed, he had something to tell that druid…

* * *

"Mom?" Asterix said quietly. The pain was almost gone now, enabling him to ask something he needed to know.

"Yes, Rixikins? What is it?"

"I think I'm missing something important," Asterix went on. "I just can't remember… Can you tell me? What bad thing have I done that nobody wants to play with me? Am I bad?"

"No, of course you are not bad!" Sarsaparilla answered softly. She opened her mouth to add something but saw that her son was asleep already. _"Okay, take a rest now,"_ she thought, remembering the sleepless night.

* * *

Getafix kept thinking when he heard a knock at the door. When he opened it he saw a druid standing at his doorstep.

"My dear friend!" the stranger exclaimed. "At last we've met again!"

"I'm sorry…" Getafix said uneasily. "I don't think we have ever…"

"Why?" the stranger looked slightly insulted. "And what about the last annual conference of druids? I am Magix".

"Oh, yes, right," Getafix still couldn't remember but the voice seemed familiar. "I'm sorry. I'm just so busy now! So many things happened…"

Sometime later, after a short story of recent events, the druids were sitting at Getafix's table.

"And I just don't know what to do," Getafix shook his head.

"Let me help you," "Magix" offered softly.

"Do you know how to reduce the pain? Nothing I tried worked".

Dubbelosix took a thought. To poison that Gaul was an interesting option but his own plan was even better. He wanted to make them do something outrageous, something they would be really sorry about but it would be too late...

"Maybe we should ask the gods' will?" he supposed.

"The gods' will? About a headache? But this is ridiculous!"

"Here," Magix said, pulling some small bones out of his bag. "We can see the gods' will right here".

Those bones were Dubbelosix's favourite achievement. He had found some metal which could pull other metals to it. With the help of that phenomenon, having hidden little metallic pieces inside the bones, he could easily manipulate them. And the fact that he had studied to become a druid for some time helped him.

A few moments later Getafix was staring at the table in disbelief.

"No…" he whispered. "I can't do this… never… no".

"But you have to," Dubbelosix barely managed not to smirk: everything went exactly as he had planned. "This is what you are meant to be. I see you are friends, I understand that, but this is much more than human friendship and you know it".

Getafix nodded uncertainly. This would be the hardest thing he had ever done… He was still not sure whether he would do this though…


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N Okay, I know this chapter is dark but… well, wait till the other chapters come out…_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter ****Four**

Getafix had been sitting like that for a very long time, oblivious to everything around. He only repeated constantly that he would never, never be able to do that. He had never doubted his destination as a druid but now he just couldn't do what he had to. He felt he was unable to fulfil the will of the gods.

Dubbelosix started feeling nervous – it looked like he had miscalculated the friendship between Getafix and Asterix.

"You know there is no other way," he said, trying to sound as soft as possible. "If you refuse to do this… who knows what the consequences will be like? Maybe the sky will fall on our heads?""

"But how on earth can I tell the poor woman that her only son has to be…" he paused, unable to control his emotions, and then added in whisper "… sacrificed? And how on earth can I do… this?"

"Yes, that is hard," Dubbelosix agreed. "But you are not just a human. You are a druid, don't forget about that. But if you are unable to do it, I can help. I can talk to his mother… And if YOU fail then I'll have to do everything myself. But you will be punished for disobedience".

Getafix covered his face with his hands, letting the tears escape his eyes freely.

* * *

Later that day, Sarsaparilla went out of Asterix's hut, wishing not to disturb her son's sleep. He hadn't slept like this for a long time already so she decided to let him rest. She kissed his forehead and went to see Vanilla who was really nervous about Obelix's long absence. She didn't notice Dubbelosix who followed her…

* * *

Obelix sat in his barely moving cart, sighing, deep in thought. It looked like the cart was simply unable to move any slower. However, the village became closer and closer, and Obelix knew he would be home very soon. _"I wonder where Dogmatix is…"_ he thought, trying to distract himself from Asterix. _"Oh, just stop worrying!"_ he told himself. _"They are both fine. Maybe they're waiting for me now…"_ Despite the last statement he didn't start moving any faster.

* * *

Dubbelosix was just happy. Both Sarsaparilla and Vanilla were sleeping innocently in Obelix's hut – his sleeping gas worked as it was supposed to. His revenge would be complete soon…

As soon as he found himself under the bard's tree he saw Getafix approaching him slowly. Seeing the real druid's doomed expression he smirked – it was almost done. Now he needed to announce about it to the village council. He had already prepared the speech. But in fact, all he needed to say was "The will of gods is that Asterix the Gaul must be sacrificed. Immediately", and the Gauls, seeing Getafix standing there helplessly, began to sigh and sob. Although they were all full of sympathy, some of them felt somewhat relieved.

"Poor Asterix!" they sobbed. "Well, at least his pain and… disease will end".

Anyway, the village was depressed. There had been no human sacrifice for years so now the villagers felt low and frightened.

* * *

Getafix was looking down at the sleeping Gaul. Asterix didn't wake up even while being carried from his hut to the valley and put on a big stone. The druid sighed, still unable and unwilling to believe this was happening. They were alone, nobody wanted to follow them. Even Magix stayed in the village. Suddenly Asterix opened his eyes. Seeing the druid, he grinned childishly.

"Hello Getafix," he greeted. Then he looked around. "Umm… Where am I? What are we doing here?"

Getafix even stepped back. How could he say this?

"We're doing what we have to," he answered. "Please… don't ask me questions!"

Hearing Getafix's voice shaking and seeing him tremble, Asterix looked at him curiously.

"Why are you shaking?" he asked. "Are you ill?"

"No…" the druid breathed. "And now please, just close your eyes!"

With the last sentence Getafix didn't ask Asterix about anything – he begged him. The little Gaul obeyed despite his curiosity.

"I'm so sorry," Getafix whispered feeling a lump in his throat. He sighed again, unable to hold back the tears, and took the knife…


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N Here's another chapter for today!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter ****Five**

Obelix was approaching the village when he suddenly heard barking. He turned his head to the source of the noise and saw Dogmatix, another dog and five puppies. All of them had been out of the village during all this time. Obelix stopped his cart and took the dog family with him. He was so happy to see them, to see his little Dogmatix was not that little anymore, that he forgot about everything that had worried him a few moments before. Dogmatix was fine so everything else was supposed to be great, too.

As soon as they entered the village the female dog and the puppies jumped down and ran somewhere. Dogmatix chose to stay with his master.

Something was terribly wrong about the village. It looked completely deserted. The feeling of worry returned and became even stronger. Obelix rushed into Asterix's hut only to see it was empty. He ran to his own hut where his mother and Sarsaparilla were fast asleep. All his attempts to wake them up were unsuccessful. Alarmed, he ran to the chief's hut without even thinking much.

Vitalstatistix and Impedimenta were sitting at their table in total silence. They showed practically no emotions when they saw Obelix.

* * *

Dubbelosix sat in Getafix's hut. Everything went just as he had wanted. He let his fly out of the little box he had been hiding it, and now it was buzzing near him.

* * *

Getafix stood beside Asterix with the knife in his trembling hand. _"I have to do it. I have to. Anyway, if I can't, Magix will do it,"_ he thought. His vision blurred because of the tears. He raised his hand up…

"How long shall I keep my eyes closed?" Asterix asked all of a sudden. "I'm bored".

Getafix's hand started shaking even harder. Disgusted, he threw the knife away. _"How stupid I was just to THINK I would ever be able to do this!"_ he thought.

"Okay, Asterix, you may open your eyes now," he said quickly. "Do you want to play? Let's play hide-and-seek!"

"Hurray!" Asterix exclaimed merrily.

"Yes, we'll play hide-and-seek," the druid repeated. "But keep silent. Hide somewhere and try not to be seen or heard. Don't go far though. And be patient".

With that, Getafix went to the village. He had no idea what to do next. He was already approaching his hut when he suddenly had a question in his head: _"And how am __**I**__ supposed to find Asterix? Oh well, I guess it will be quite easy. He must just keep away from Magix…"_

At that very moment, Magix (who had hidden his fly back into the box as soon as he had seen Getafix in through the window) went out. From the opposite side came Obelix, followed by Dogmatix. The well-covered Gaul wanted to scream, to roar, to shout… but he had literally nothing to say. Dogmatix, however, had other things to care about. As soon as he smelled Dubbelosix's scent, he started growling menacingly. Finally, he jumped up and grasped the fake beard with his teeth. The beard fell down, and Getafix and Obelix saw the spy at last.

"Dubbelosix?" the druid managed to speak at last. "You!"

"Yes," the spy accepted his defeat. "But does it matter now? Asterix is dead! And it was YOU who killed him! Ha-ha, funny, isn't…"

He didn't finish the statement because right then Obelix's fist hit his head heavily. He flew across the village and landed somewhere outside it. Nobody saw him since then; in fact, nobody cared after all.

Obelix was literally shaking with rage. He wanted to find that #$& and to break his every single bone… He even started moving in the direction of the spy's flight but was stopped by Getafix.

"Obelix, calm down," the druid said. He had never seen him so angry but he could understand that feeling. "You'd better go and find Asterix. Oh, and Dogmatix will help you!"

"What do you mean?" Obelix asked, still shaking. "But… Vitalstatistix said… and Dubbelosix…" he paused, feeling he began stuttering.

"He's alive," Getafix sighed. "Luckily, I couldn't do that…"

Unable to hide his feelings anymore, Obelix hugged the druid tightly.

"Dogmatix!" he called. "Search for Asterix!"

* * *

After some time had passed the red-haired Gaul and his dog were walking in the forest. Obelix was thinking how Asterix was feeling. Had he become himself? There was very little hope but the red-haired Gaul didn't want to loose it. Dogmatix was nuzzling the ground attentively. Finally, they came up to a high tree. The little white dog looked up and barked.

"Asterix!" Obelix called. "Come down here! I know you are there!"

Asterix sighed but obeyed. He was already bored of sitting on a branch. He remembered seeing this man once. He was going to travel somewhere then.

"And what is your name?" he asked once on the ground.

"Don't you remember me at all?" the well-covered Gaul shivered. "I am Obelix!" He wanted to add "your best friend" but didn't for some reason.

"I can't remember a lot of things," Asterix sighed and sniffed. "And I'm sorry for calling you fat then – my Mom says it's bad to call people like that".

"And I am not fat," Obelix said very quietly.

Suddenly Asterix's head started aching again. He clutched his temples and shut his eyes tightly. _*Obelix was in front of him. Asterix felt really annoyed. They were both shouting something Asterix couldn't hear. Finally, when Asterix felt particularly annoyed, Obelix seemed so as well and... sharp pain and darkness.*_

The little Gaul opened his eyes to see Obelix looking really concerned.

"Did you… hit me?" Asterix asked. He felt insulted, betrayed and… scared? Obelix nodded, unable to speak.

"It hurt," Asterix complained. His lower lip was shaking; tears were already forming in his eyes. "It still hurts. Why did you do that?" The last question was interrupted with quiet sobs.

"I'm so sorry," Obelix breathed. "I never wanted to hurt you! I didn't mean it! I'm so sorry… Forgive me…"

Asterix's head started aching again. He shook in pain and then looked at Obelix. The little Gaul was now really frightened. Obelix was almost crying, too: his best friend was scared of him half to death!

"I'll never call you fat! I swear!" Asterix finally said as he backed from Obelix. He almost added "just don't hurt me" but managed to hold that back. Having said so he ran away as fast as he could, not knowing even where he was heading.

Obelix stood there alone (Dogmatix had run away during the conversation), not knowing what to do. He sat down and cried aloud. That very moment the rain started. The thunder brought the well-covered Gaul to his senses at once. _"I must find Asterix. No matter how he's scared of me… I must find him until he gets into trouble!"_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter ****Six**

However, Obelix couldn't find Asterix anywhere. It was dark night already, the rain never stopped and the feeling of despair in the well-covered Gaul's heart grew. He even went to some of the nearby Roman camps but to no effect. _"If I were a little boy, where would I go?"_ he asked himself but just couldn't find the answer. _"And they say __**I**__ am childish!"_ Such thoughts helped him distract a little but they didn't last for long. Soon panic started rushing through him. _"If something happens to him… I'll never forgive myself! But who could ever think everything would be THIS bad?..."_

Finally, at dawn he returned to the village and went straight to Getafix's hut. He had a decent hope that Asterix had already returned home somehow…

* * *

Asterix ran forward on top speed. He had already lost his way in the forest when the rain started. It was late night, everything frightened him. Every thunder-blast sent shivers down his spine. Everything looked so strange, so… evil… Asterix remembered there were wild boars there. He saw them caught by other Gauls – they were big… and live wild boars might be fierce… Moreover, the rain was very cold. _"Mom will be mad,"_ he thought. _"She says not to stay out when it's raining because I can fall ill…"_ But very soon it turned out that he couldn't even find the way to his mother, no matter how hard he tried. He started calling for her but he could barely even hear himself because of the noise of the storm. Finally, he realized he was in the dead end. All his will power was broken. He sat under a tree where it was relatively dry and cried. _"Nobody will come… nobody will help me. Nobody needs me!"_ Of course he wasn't aware of the fact that nobody knew where he was, that he was already being searched for that very moment. Some time later the rain stopped at last, and the poor tired little Gaul fell asleep without noticing it.

* * *

A small group of Romans were making their way through the forest after the rain. They had been out of the camp all night – luckily, they had their portative tents with them. Suddenly they saw the sleeping Gaul under the tree.

"I know him!" one of them whispered. "It's… Asterix…" the name was pronounced with great fear.

"Oh…" another Roman said. "I hope his friend… Obelix… is not here… Otherwise we are done for… Strange, he doesn't seem to be around. They are always inseparable…"

"Oh, come on," another one muttered. He was some kind of a leader among them. "Look, he hasn't got either his magic potion or even his sword. And he's asleep. It's our perfect chance…"

"Perfect chance? What chance?"

"To get him… And then those Gauls will do anything we want. Follow me!"

With that, they jumped forward and grabbed Asterix's hands. He woke up immediately.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Let me go!"

The Romans paused. He seemed to be a little weird. Maybe it was his expression or something… Asterix looked at them with slight fright (_"don't show your fear, be brave!"_) and curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asked at last, and the Romans froze, totally confused.

* * *

Later that morning the Romans, together with Asterix, entered the camp of Aquarium. The little Gaul was even giggling quietly. _"They are nice, these guys. It's a pity I couldn't remember they are my friends. And now we'll play a trick on the others!"_ He remembered his village. _"I hope Mom isn't worrying…"_ However, the last thought was short. He still felt insulted that nobody needed him, even despite the fact that he had made that all up. One thing was true though: he was supposed to trust that fat guy who seemed to be very strong… But he hurt him! Could someone who hit him so hard not hate him?

The Romans felt they were lucky. Not only had this Gaul followed them voluntarily, he even agreed to take part in their plan thinking it was just a game. They only hoped that he wouldn't get back to normal because that would be their end…

* * *

Obelix sat at Getafix's table with his face covered with his hands. He was literally trembling with worry.

"How could it have happened?" the druid asked again and again. He didn't need the answer though, and Obelix knew it. They couldn't even use Dogmatix in their searches this time: he wouldn't be able to pick the scent because of the rain.

Suddenly the door opened and two women rushed inside. They had been sleeping all that time so they knew nothing about what was going on.

"Obelixikins!" Vanilla exclaimed at once and hugged her son. "What happened? You look so upset…"

Obelix just hid his face again, unable to say anything.

"And where is Asterix?" Sarsaparilla asked. "He's not at home…"

Getafix took a pause to think of a reply. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened again and Cacofonix ran inside.

"Getafix! Prepare the magic potion! The Romans are coming!" he screamed and hurried back at once in order to tell the news to Vitalstatistix.

"Just the perfect time," the druid muttered under his breath.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter ****Seven**

Asterix was sitting in the tent, looking at the Romans (he had figured out they called themselves like that) with great curiosity. Strangely enough, he felt cold and shivered slightly all the time. But he didn't want to show it – he didn't want to look like a weeper.

"So what are we going to do now, Centurion?" one of the Romans asked centurion Idioticplanus.

"We've got to use him somehow…" centurion replied thoughtfully.

"We can ask them to give us their magic potion," one of the soldiers suggested.

"Hmmm… it's an interesting idea. But I'm not sure if their druid gives it to us though… But we'll try. We'll give them the choice".

Asterix couldn't understand what they were talking about. _"Why would they ask for Getafix's magic potion? Why wouldn't he give it to them? It's strange… These Romans are crazy!"_ The last statement seemed so odd… as though he had heard it somewhere… If he only could remember! His head started aching again.

"The choice?" the soldiers asked. "What choice?"

"Either they give us their potion, or they give up and leave the village," Idioticplanus answered.

"Centurion," a Roman started humbly. "I don't think it's a good idea… They are unlikely to ever give up…"

"Then there will be one Gaul fewer!" Centurion said harshly. "And stop interrupting me! I forbid you to talk!" he added, seeing that the soldier was about to say something again.

"What do you mean?" Asterix felt reality slipping away from him so he had to ask something. Besides, he did want to know what they meant. The odd thing was that his voice was so hoarse… and it hurt to talk.

"You'll find out soon," Idioticplanus smirked.

Asterix was unable to think. His head became heavy and he fell asleep somehow.

Soon the Romans took the sleeping little Gaul with them, left their camp and headed to the village.

* * *

Sarsaparilla still got no answer about where her son was. Nobody seemed to pay attention to her as the panic rushed in the village. Everyone ran, carrying some objects or shouting something. Only Obelix did nothing – he seemed not to notice anything around. Sarsaparilla sat down and cried desperately.

Soon the Romans came closer. The Gauls were just in time to have drunk some magic potion. They left the village gate and ran forward. They were getting really close when suddenly Vitalstatistix exclaimed: "Hey, it's Asterix!"

Things like that were completely out of his character. Everyone stopped and stared at the Romans. Indeed, Asterix was among them. The little Gaul was half-asleep and couldn't stand by himself. He was supported by a Roman soldier who was holding a sword by Asterix's neck.

"Only one step forward," the centurion warned, "and he dies".

Having heard all that, Obelix (who had walked in the last row of the Gauls) pushed his way to the first row to see what was going on.

"If you touch a hair of his head, I…" the well-covered Gaul was literally choking with his helpless rage.

"What do you want?" Vitalstatistix asked finally.

"You have a choice," Idioticplanus smirked. "Either you give us your magic potion, or leave the village forever… or you'll never see your friend again… alive".

The villagers froze. The situation was too complicated.

"Oh, and if you tell us you are leaving you must swear by your gods you'll never come back," the centurion added.

Vitalstatistix just couldn't believe this was happening, and neither could his fellow villagers. They were petrified, terror visible in their eyes.

"You have time until tomorrow evening," Idioticplanus said. With that the Romans turned round and went back to their camp, leaving the Gauls in panic.

"See?" the Roman centurion said fatly. "It IS a great plan!"

That very moment Asterix fainted completely.

"What's wrong with him?" Idioticplanus asked nervously.

"He has a fever," one of the soldiers replied. "He's sick. What are we going to do about it?"

"We must be sure he's alive at least until tomorrow evening," centurion waved his hand.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Obelix sobbed again. They were at Vitalstatistix's hut. Sarsaparilla was crying softly in the corner, where Vanilla and Impedimenta were trying to calm her down.

"I can't give them the secret of the magic potion," Getafix said. "I'm sorry".

"I… I am sorry about Asterix but he's alone, and there are a lot of other Gauls here," the chief was barely heard. "I can't sacrifice everybody for one person".

Obelix let his head fall to the table.

"But they will kill him!" he exclaimed.

"It would be a bad decision," Getafix said thoughtfully. "If they do, they will face a fate worse than death…"

"Yes!" Obelix hit the table with his fist and it broke into pieces. "I will make them see it is possible!"

The druid sighed.

"I hope they realize that, too…"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Apparently something's wrong with the site again and I can't divide the parts of the chapter or edit the chapter normally, I'm sorry for that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

**Chapter ****Eight**

Asterix was sitting in the Roman tent, covered with a warm blanket tightly. He still felt cold and coughed all the time. Nevertheless, he stayed cheerful. These guys seemed quite friendly. They had been listening to him for long already. _"At last I've found friends!"_ Asterix thought happily. _"They aren't trying to stay away, they don't hurt me as that… Obelix is his name, I think… I want to stay with them!"_ He only missed his mother and a little Getafix. _"Mom must be worrying so much now… And Dad… I wonder what he is like…"_ Indeed, his mother had told him about Astronomix, of course, but all the little Gaul knew was that his father lived somewhere in Condatum and that he had used to be a very brave warrior in his youth. And despite Asterix didn't remember him at all, he wanted to be just like him.

The Romans were really confused. They saw that something was wrong with this Gaul. There were two of soldiers whose task was to keep an eye on him. First they had been scared of him but then he just turned out to be not the Asterix they had known. _"He's not that bad,"_ one of the two guards thought sympathetically, _"and he doesn't even know what is happening to him… and what might happen very soon"_. They rarely felt something like that about their enemies but now they just hoped for better. Both of the Guards seemed "too clever" as the others called them sometimes. They already regretted about the career they had chosen but it seemed so honorable to them…

Then one of the soldiers was called to Idioticplanus. The centurion didn't look so enthusiastic about the plan this time though.

"If they don't agree to do what we say we're doomed," he said.

"So… maybe, let's just let this Gaul go?" the soldier suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Idioticplanus yelled. "If they disagree, kill him in front of their eyes! And I don't care that it might be the last thing you do in your life!"

The soldier shivered. He didn't want to kill that poor fellow and, of course, he didn't want to die himself (he knew the Gauls wouldn't leave it like that). He went back to the tent with great sadness in his face.

"So this is what you're going to do?!" Obelix didn't want to give up. "You'll just give them Asterix like that?"

"I'm sorry, Obelix, I really am," Vitalstatistix replied again and again.

"But we can't let them kill him like that!" Obelix started sobbing.

"Well, maybe they won't," Getafix suggested uncertainly.

"Maybe?" Obelix was becoming mad. This was much more than he could take. "MAYBE? This is Asterix you're talking about! He's my best friend, and I'll do anything to save him!"

"I know," Getafix laid a hand on the red-haired Gaul's shoulder. "But there's just nothing we can do. Nothing but wait".

"Asterix would come up with a cunning plan if he were here," Obelix said sharply, shaking the druid's hand away from his shoulder. "And if he were… himself…" he added.

"If Asterix were here and… himself, we wouldn't NEED any plan," Getafix reminded. Obelix fell silent.

"Okay, then I'll go there myself!" he said.

"It's too dangerous, Obelix," the druid interrupted. "They might not let you go there".

"Then I'll at least try to talk to Asterix," the well-covered Gaul couldn't let it go. "I must tell him… well, there are a lot of things to talk about," there were tears in his eyes again. He looked at the chief – Vitalstatistix just waved his hand.

"Look, if you go there, the Romans will be freaked out at once," Getafix stated.

"And what is bad about it?"

"This will put Asterix into much bigger danger…"

"So we'll just sit here doing nothing?" Obelix asked quietly in total disbelief. There was no answer but he already knew it anyway. Everyone who was in the hut fell silent for a very long while.

The Roman guards decided to discuss the situation under their breath when Asterix fell asleep, murmuring something inaudible. Sometimes he was coughing even in sleep.

"He's so… helpless," one of them started. "If he were the same terrible Gaul, then I wouldn't complain but now…"

"Yeah, now it's just not fair," the other agreed. "It's like to kill a child…"

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know. Centurion doesn't want to let him go… If we disobey the punishment will be horrible".

"I think that even if we DO obey, the Gauls will be our punishment that may be even worse that centurion's. We're doomed, no matter what we do".

"Then… I guess we should…"

They were interrupted by another soldier who was sent there by Idioticplanus.

"Wake him up," he said. "It's time to meet the Gauls to hear their answer".


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N Well, here is the last chapter. Everything comes to an end sometime…_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Based on "Asterix and the Actress" by Albert Uderzo.

**Chapter ****Nine**

The guards sighed and nodded in silent agreement. So this was it. They managed to wake Asterix up somehow. He still had a slight fever but seemed to feel better now. Anyway, it might not matter anymore.

"Where are we going?" he asked sleepily. "I don't want to go, I'm so tired!"

"Sorry, mate, this is an order," one of the soldiers replied quietly. _"Think, think, think!"_ he thought. _"We need to help him escape!"_

They grabbed Asterix's arms and left the tent. As soon as they did it, the Roman leaned to the little Gaul and whispered:

"Take my sword and run".

Asterix stared at him, not knowing what this was about.

"I can't… take the sword…" he whispered back. "Mom says I can get hurt".

"What's wrong with you, Gaul? This is your way out! Don't you understand we're ordered to KILL you if your friends don't agree with our conditions?"

"But…" Asterix started shaking frantically. It looked like the entire world was against him. "I thought WE were friends!"

"This is why I offer you help. Run for it! Now!"

"Hey, what are you talking about there?" Idioticplanus interrupted. "Go!"

The guards sighed and led Asterix (who was now frightened half to death) forward. They were passing a large catapult when the little Gaul's head ached. It was like this had already happened some time before. Without thinking he grabbed the Roman's sword which was really close to him and ran to the weapon. With a single movement he cut the rope and literally flew away, leaving the shocked Romans behind. He flew to the forest and then… everything went dark as he hit the ground heavily.

"Don't tell me he escaped again!" Idioticplanus yelled. "Now, when some of our soldiers have already left the camp!"

01010101

Vitalstatistix (with his shield bearers), Getafix and Obelix were waiting for the meeting with the Romans. Obelix wasn't supposed to be there but he came, and no one could argue with him. They watched as some Romans appeared and came up to them slowly.

"So, Gauls," one of the legionaries started. "What is your answer?"

"First we must see the prisoner," Vitalstatistix stated.

They waited for a long while. The Romans knew nothing about the escape since they had already left the camp before it had happened, and now they were confused. The Gauls, especially Obelix, became dangerously nervous.

"Okay, where is Asterix?!" he finally yelled. Since there was no answer, he ran to the poor Romans…

Soon, when this part of the legion was lying on the ground, the red-haired Gaul went to the camp. He was really mad.

Strangely enough, he didn't get the answer even there. Well, maybe the reason was that he asked the questions AFTER he had beaten the Romans but of course, they were too silent anyway. He even didn't notice Dogmatix who was barking around him, trying to lead him somewhere. Seeing no effect, the little white dog ran back to the forest…

01010101

Asterix was slowly coming round in the forest. His throat felt a little hoarse but the fever appeared to be gone. He only wondered how he had got there and what the loud barking noise above his head was. The last question was answered very soon as he saw Dogmatix standing nearby. Slowly, the little Gaul stood up and took the sword that was lying near him. He didn't actually know why he did this however… Dogmatix barked again and ran somewhere, obviously willing to lead the warrior after him.

01010101

Obelix was looking around at the barely moving Romans lying on the ground. The worry inside him grew into real panic – he still knew nothing about Asterix. What he didn't know either was that not all of the Romans were defeated. One of them was approaching the well-covered Gaul from behind, his sword ready to attack… Obelix turned round only when he heard the tinkling noise of two blades hitting each other.

"What a cowardly way to attack!" Asterix said through clenched teeth. "Never attack anyone like that!" he went on as he fought the surprised Roman. "And especially never—attack—my—friends!"

Just at the last word the Roman's sword fell to the ground, and the frightened legionary ran away. Obelix didn't follow him. He was staring at Asterix with his mouth open.

"Are you okay, Obelix?" the little Gaul asked, looking at his friend with concern. Instead of the answer Obelix ran up to him and hugged him for the first time in the last few months.

"What's going on?" Asterix asked when he was able to breathe again. "I think I just can't remember…"

"There is a lot to tell you about," Obelix chuckled happily as they headed to their village, followed by Dogmatix.

**The end**


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